Friendship is Magicite? Let's Play Pony Fantasy 6!

This guy gets it.

Though I usually just get by with Fixed Dice/Offering.

Me, if only because Merton has not one, but two elemental properties for monsters to potentially resist, nullify, or absorb, whereas Ultima has zero.

It doesn't help any that you normally get the Esper ten minutes away from the end of the game. You really have to go out of your way to even learn the spell.

I think this is all a clear manifestation of the fact that Pinkie Pie is best pony.

Blasphemy!!! Rainbowdash is clearly the best pony ever!

For me the issue is:

Here's some colorful hyper kids' show. OK, that's fine.

Here's a bunch of 20-30 year old dudes totally into it. Also fine, and completely unremarkable.

Here's those dudes (metaphorically?) climbing up onto rooftops with megaphones and ceaselessly shouting at the world how they are such wonderful, progressive, open-minded people for daring to publicly proclaim their love for a show aimed at little girls. Shut the @#$% up. We heard you the first time. No one cares. You are not that special. Neither is your show. Nobody is judging you. You aren't brave and daring. There are literally dozens of other shows and other media out there aimed at little girls with a strong following amongst older dude types, none of whom ever felt the need to make a big deal out of it.* Again, shut the @#$% up.

Anyway though, yeah. That font really is... an accomplishment... of some kind.

* OK, the Sailor Moon fanbase did a lot of rooftop shouting back in the day, but that wasn't "aren't I progressive!" it was "THEY'RE NAKED!" which is a whole other sort of irritating fan behavior.

I'm finding myself wondering what the final boss is going to look like. Like, is the giant monster-tower going to keep its original form, or will it be a mishmash of pony sprites that's going to look really weird against the background of the game? Actually, if the latter happens that would be pretty hilarious considering the super-dramatic music that plays during the fight.

And what about this Discord dude? Will it just be a giant sprite of him when you reach the Kefka-part of the final boss, or what? He already looks pretty weird, so I don't really see how this romhack could make him appropriately final-boss-y, appearance wise.

But I'm probably over-thinking things. I guess I'll just wait and continue to be bewildered by this romhack until we get there.

Apple Bloom: Horseapples! Ah gotta get to Neighshe in a hurry!

The last leg of our journey finds Apple Bloom stuck in Canterlot City. Nothing changes in the sequence of events and nothing changes in dialog except things like "old man" becoming "old mare."



And here we have our answer to the question "how do you disguise naked ponies as other naked ponies?" Lots of dyes.



Apple Bloom's lucky her coat's pretty pale to begin with or this sequence would really get bogged down by the bleach baths.



Ugh. Just... ugh.



A number of guessers nailed this one.



Staring in the episode Boast Busters, the Great and Powerful Trixie is a stage magician who claims to be the most powerful unicorn ever. She challenges everypony to competitions, promising to best them at their own special talents. She instead uses her magic to humiliate them, turning their own tricks against them. Eventually her boasting bites her in the donkey and Twilight Sparkle has to save the day.

Trixie's attitude and sweet costume endeared her to fans and very soon she will be available as a brushable toy that I will buy the instant I find it (even though it doesn’t come with the outfit.)

Guard: So, the mighty Trixie has fallen!
Trixie: How dare you treat the Great and Powerful Trixie like this!
Guard: Hold your tongue!
Trixie: You cowards have to resort to poison to do your dirty work!
Guard: Shuddap!
[she collapses]
Guard: I'd hate to be in your shoes tomorrow!



Trixie: A rebel? The Great and Powerful Trixie is being rescued by a ragamuffin like YOU?
Apple Bloom: Don't be stubborn, we both know what they'll do to ya if ya stay here!
Trixie: ! Very well, my enthusiastic little admirer, Trixie will go with you... Trixie is... still wounded... No doubt they'll send their best ponies to capture Trixie. Think you can handle it, little hayseed?
Apple Bloom: You kiddin' me!? There's nopony in the whole empire that can take ME down! Let's go!

Such a charmer!



Not quite the personality match we saw with Twilight Sparkle vs Terra, huh? I wonder what's going to happen (many many updates from now) on the Solitary Island. Will she order Cid not to die?



Unicorn = Runic, but not bound to swords because Trixie uses wands instead. She starts with Bolt instead of Ice, which means we have no access to Ice magic until we get more espers. I load her up with esper and healing band so her spell list can become interchangeable with the rest of the horned ones.

Apple Bloom: Ah used to know someone just like ya... She was real bold, not afraid of anything... Ah couldn't live with mahself if ah just stood by and let somepony else die to the empire. You don't owe me anything, okay?

I have few guesses who Apple Bloom might be referring to. They're not going to waste Sweetie Bell on a bit part and pretty much everyone else she's close to has already been cast. My best remaining guess is Twist, a girl Apple Bloom was friends with until Twist got her cutie mark and they stopped hanging out.



Boss battle - yeah!!

Trixie: Listen up little hayseed! The Great and Powerful Trixie will absorb its magic!
Apple Bloom: Little?!
Trixie: Trixie's horn can absorb such obviously inferior magic. Then when its missile bay opens, Trixie will blast it with her amazing magic!
Apple Bloom: But won't that hurt?!
Trixie: Anything it can do, I can do better!

She makes it sound like Unicorn is way cooler than Runic but there really isn't a difference. Apple Bloom gets to sit in the back row, using Autocrossbow, so this battle is that much easier than normal. The steal has changed to Thunder Blade instead of Air Lancet, a significant power boost. My guess is they thought "Let's make it so you steal a weapon it's weak against, so there's an instant reward for stealing and changing weapons mid-battle!" Except Autocrossbow.



Finally we're drawing to the close of the unchangeable party makeups.

I think this hack has officially gotten to ridiculous for me to follow. I'll decide for sure next update.

So basically Celes is unchanged, unless there's crazy stat changes?

Trixie, huh? Ok. Could be amusing. I won't let getting that call wrong dissuade me from my next recast prediction: Cherrilee is Rachel.

Also, I was pretty sure my tag addition was unoffensive. What gives.

I think Flogic realizes how polarizing ponies have become, and is just trying to stay on top of things. If your tag was in good fun, you can appeal the mod through a PM. I did so for one of my tags in another thread, and it was reinstated, so it couldn't hurt.

Her starting magic should be in the mid 30s, IIRC. So yes, crazy stat changes.

I stand by my "bewildering" tag

I think what's really awesome about this is that they obviously set out to both make a FF6 system mod AND to reskin/reflavor it to integrate the MLP stuff. Rearranging abilities so that only the unicorns learn magic--sure, that's thematic, worth going to the trouble for. But changing the TunnelArmor's stealable item? That implies (to me) a deep investment in the balance of the game and how things work in FF6.

I'm very curious as to how they'll dole out the espers as the game goes on.

FL has said that he wants to keep the tagging in the LP subforum pretty cut and dry. I don't think it's just a pony thing.

So, we have the big scene where the party reunites coming up.

And that means making not one, not two, but THREE parties.

Has anyone thought about how the parties will work best, given the changes?

Really? THIS is the tipping point?

This hack really does seem interesting, even without the pony poni poné.

Put Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie, and Trixie in a party and hit the "win" button.

I didn't really notice until Spoony pointed it out, but Trixie's base magic stat is borderline insane. Give her a pair of Earrings, magic boosting equipment, and second-tier black magic and she'll break the World of Balance over her knee.

This is how I beat the game the first time.

I beat the game the first time by running into a glitch that gave me 99 of every item. Yes, including the Ragnarok sword.

Sketch Bug?

Weirdly enough no, I just ran into one of those giant bone head thingies in a desert early in the world of ruin and ran, and somehow came out of it with 99 of everything. Relm wasn't even accessible when it happened.

The three have reached Neighshe, and a decisive battle is about to take place...



Meadow Song: But it's too late already!
Elder: All we have to do is give them that esper and we'll be fine.
Mayor Mare: You're a fool foal to trust them!
Meadow Song: Mayor!
Mayor Mare: Actions speak louder than words, and the empire has invaded four cities already! The Emperor is desperate for more magitek power. She's going to come for that Esper! And we all know that would not be good, not one bit!
Elder: The War of Chaos... The mythical battle that set ponykind back a thousand years... Can this really be happening? People will never learn...

My brain has started automatically inserting additional horse puns into the dialog.



I hear Celestia's line in Nall's voice, from Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete. Even though I haven't played that game in YEARS.

Celestia: Are these friends of yours?
Applejack: Ah'm Applejack, Sweet Apple's most dependable pony!
Pinkie Pie: Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!
Luna: The empire hath committed genocide upon the sovereignty of Sweet Apple!
Applejack: Discord poisoned the water. He killed EVERYONE, not just the fightin' folks...
Elder: Barbaric!
Mayor Mare: Elder!
Elder: But Sweet Apple chose to support the rebellion! We simply have to maintain our neutrality!



Mayor Mare: Bloom. Where'd you hear that?
Apple Bloom: Trixie here-
Trixie: (AHEM!)
Apple Bloom: (sigh) The Great and Powerful Trixie, I mean, was one 'a the empire's generals!
Applejack: What?! Why she's tha one who stormed Mareanda! It's her fault so many ponyfolk ain't got no place to live anymore! Pinkie Pie, outta mah way!



Apple Bloom: WAIT! Trixie here is one'a US now, she risked her neck to help me already!
Applejack: But...!
Apple Bloom: Ah told her NOPONY ain't gonna get to her unless it's through ME, so y'all just better forget about it!
Celestia: Bloom... You haven't forgotten yet, I see...

This is about where I give up hope for any sistership between Apple Bloom and Applejack. This is a busy scene, dialog-wise, but with a few comments scattered through earlier parts of the game, it wouldn't be hard to fit in a "Ya may be my sister, but ain't NOPONY gonna" etc. They don't interact much throughout the game? They're not very close since Apple Bloom ditched Sweet Apple years ago.



Luna: WE NEED THEIR HELP, APPLEJACK, REMEMBER THE ENEMY OF THY ENEMY IST THINE FRIEND![

The Royal Voice returns!

Messenger: Emergency!! The Empire cometh!!



Discord: JUST GET ME THAT ESPER!
Soldier: Lord Discord! There're civilians here...!
Discord: Exterminate everyone!
Soldier: But Neighshe is neutral...
Discord: Idiot!! Anyone who defies us is to be DESTROYED!! Now MARCH!

Holy pony army, Batmare!



Mayor Mare: They're after the Esper.
Elder: We moved it into the hills.
Celestia: Let's go everypony! The fate of Equestria is in our hooves!

You heard the princess, it's walking time!



Twilight Sparkle: But I didn't mean to, they were controlling me... Do you... "like" fighting?
Trixie: Trixie likes WINNING!
Twilight Sparkle: But can't we find a way to make peace?
Trixie: Wimp...

Rivals with entirely different values and goals... Trixie will be counting her kills Helm's Deep style.

Celestia: I wouldn't get the wrong message about Apple Bloom, she's probably acting this way because you remind her of somepony.
Trixie: The Great and Powerful Trixie already knew that!
Celestia: Hmph, rude much...

Trixie is not against taking advantage of somepony's sentimental nature to achieve her goals.

Applejack: Don't think fer a minute that Ah kin trust ya!
Trixie: Fine, Trixie is used to "NEIGH"sayers in her audience!

Similar to a line Trixie has in Boast Busters.



I stripped the gear off everypony so y'all can examine stats to your heart's content. Yes, Twilight Sparkle is a point more powerful than Trixie. Suck it! I'm wondering if esper stat boosts have been removed. The non-unicorns wouldn't get their benefits, so with mindful leveling, there eventually wouldn't be any reason to use them. Their stats are plenty high to begin with.

Probably not. That might be difficult. We'll find out in... two updates, I'd wager.

Discord: Go! Destroy these savages!

Normally I'm pretty cautious in these battles but this time I didn't see much point. Apple Bloom plowed through all that stood in her path, finishing the battle before Applejack or Celestia's teams saw combat.



So cheesy. Pinkie Pie uses Dark Wind, Breaking the rider before he moves a muscle.



Discord's single target hits are beefy enough to instakill Apple Bloom and Twilight Sparkle once each, but he doesn't use them often so recovery is not difficult. Thankfully phoenix downs didn't suffer from rename syndrome. (Not that they'd need to - we've seen several phoenix in the show.)

Discord: I'll be back!

Peace Ring = Harmony Band. With a name like that I'd expect it to be better, considering the whole "Elements of Harmony" thing. Hmm... Now I find myself hoping some end-game gear are named after the Elements of Harmony.

Discord: Aack!! I won't forget this! [flees]



Celestia: Well done, everypony!
Applejack: Y'all think it's still alive?

Trixie really blends in with this terrain. Most of the rest of the cast are colors that don't exist in FF6's dreary world so the problem doesn't come up much.



Yeah, can you imagine, sis? CAN YOU???

I would love to see a scene where Luna and Celestia's true ages are revealed, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. So far these moments read more like the player and writer are sharing in a joke that's not actually relevant to the story.



Guess not.

Twilight Sparkle: Nooo!!



Twilight Sparkle: Huh? W... what's going on...? Please... tell me! Who am I? WHO?!
Apple Bloom: Twilight!
Trixie: An Esper... Trixie can feel its thoughts...
Celestia: Twilight Sparkle... Step away from the Esper...



Twilight Sparkle evolved into Rapidash! Amazingly even this has precedence in the show.



In the first episode, Twilight Sparkle drinks some hot sauce and this is the result. In Feeling Pinkie Keen it happens as a result of her getting extremely frustrated with Pinkie Pie. I don't think fans would be too surprised to see this form return for more than the momentary gags it's been so far. Maybe some day she'll get so stressed and frustrated she'll get stuck this way!

Bye-bye! The sprite artists didn't bother converting the "Esper Terra's Wild Flight" sprites. It's instead left blank, making it seem like the flight is seen first person. It works well enough. Certainly better than if the sprites turned out really badly and got used anyway.



Trixie: Trixie saw her transform and fly off. What does she think she is, a pegasus?
Celestia: [enters] Apple Bloom! Are you all right? The esper awakened some hidden power, but she could not control it! Fortunately, I have already received some information as to where we might find her.
Apple Bloom: Let's go! Ah promised her Ah'd...
Trixie: (snort)

Yes, Apple Bloom is a promise whore.



Applejack: Ah'm beginning ta understand things aren't so black and white 'round here. Ah reckon we oughta help her out an' all...
Celestia: Let's split up. Those who aren't searching for Twilight Sparkle will stay and guard Neighshe. Canterlot Castle can shuttle us to the western province. Then we'll make for Coltlingen or Manehattan.

I guess Manehattan is Jidoor. Wonder what Zozo will be. Before we go, let's see if anyone has anything interesting to say. Starting with our own team!

Apple Bloom: I promised Twilight I'd... keep her safe...
Celestia: I have much to teach Twilight Sparkle, please return her safely!
Luna: WE WILL STAND FAST AGAINST THE EMPIRE. GO, AND RETRIEVE TWILIGHT SPARKLE!
Trixie: No doubt she simply lacks discipline!
Pinkie Pie: Just let your auntie Pinkie Pie take care of little old Neighshe!
Applejack: Let's hurry!



Umaro has been turned into a strange hermit? The only "hermit" in the series is Zecora, and she's already been cast. Oh well, it's going to be a very long time before we answer that question. And whether the strange hermit will chuck allies/self at enemies...



The giant hat thing refers to Rarity's favorite article of clothing. She loves clothing in general, but if Hasbro would let her, she'd wear a different giant hat in every episode and the "fashion" version of her toy would come with every single one of them.

Next: To Canterlot, and BEYOND!!

If you want to see anypony in particular in the party, speak up. Note I've already done the Celestia/Luna stuff in Figaro and will hoof it back to Neighshe to rearrange the party, so don't feel like they are required. We're going to see what Pinkie Pie has to say when we catch up to Twilight Sparkle so consider her a lock. Don't forget Fluttershy is also an option.